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“Yes, sir.”
Big fish in a teeny pond, thought Devine. This also probably explained the suit.
Silkwell ordered a glass of cabernet, while Devine opted for an IPA on draft.
“Busy place,” said Devine.
“Oh yeah, they do a great business.”
Devine looked at the menu and noted the prices.
“No offense, but for a sleepy little town with the kids getting free school lunches, how does the place charge these prices and sell out?”
“You’ve been talking to my sister about that, right? The 130 percenters?”
“Yes. She didn’t paint a really rosy picture of the economic climate here.”
“She’s always been a Debbie Downer. The fact is, COVID changed everything. We got nearly a thousand families who moved to the area from Boston, New York, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, and other metro areas where the cost of living is through the roof. They can work remotely, still pull in an income that is many times what most Mainers make, and build or buy homes for peanuts. Cheapest oceanfront in the country, or at least that’s what one Realtor told me.”
“I didn’t see much construction going on along the coast here.”
“It started about a mile down but it’ll get here, and some of it is inland, too.” He looked around. “Most of the customers in here tonight are the ‘remoters,’ as I like to call them. State used federal dollars to bring superfast broadband here. That was key to getting these highly educated and highly compensated folks to come. And they’re putting down roots. And all of the people working at this restaurant are locals. But Real Food pays a living wage, and the employees get health insurance and a 401(k).”
“That’s great. And the weather?”
“Hell, you think Chicago, Boston, and New York don’t get cold? And you want to be in Miami, Phoenix, or Houston in the summer? Sure, it gets warm here, but nothing like that, and the proximity to the ocean actually keeps the winters bearable. And if folks can save a ton of money? It’s not rocket science. And there are developers coming in who want to build an oceanfront hotel, a spa resort, and new residential communities. If that happens, this place is going to boom, and the people who bought here before that are going to make a fortune. And instead of eroding sand, we have sturdy, rocky shorelines, so houses aren’t going to topple into the sea as the water levels rise, at least not for a long time. So you get ocean views without that worry for rock-bottom prices. And there’s plans to build new elementary and high schools. And businesses are starting up all the time, and I invest in the ones that I believe in, like this place. I’ve already made back ten times what I put in. Only good thing that came out of COVID, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Was Jenny involved in any of this?”
“No. I talked to her about it, but she was government. And some of the monies coming our way are tied to federal dollars. She couldn’t risk the conflict.”
“Okay, I can understand that.”
“And that oceanfront hotel? Guess where they’re thinking of building it?”
“Jocelyn Point?”
Dak nodded with a self-satisfied smile. “I’ve had preliminary talks with them. The house is a knockdown but we have tons of acreage right on the water, plenty of room to put in a nice facility and amenities. Hell, it could accommodate a residential development and retail businesses, too. And the dollars they’re talking? Well, I might leave old Hiram Silkwell in the dust.”
“Congrats. So with Jenny gone I guess it’ll just be you and Alex splitting the fortune?”
Dak looked at him sharply. “What the hell are you implying?”
“I’m implying nothing. Just trying to thoroughly understand the situation.”
Dak said, “Well,understandthis. Jenny’s share of the sale, if it happens, will go into a trust to promote conservation and protect endangered species in Maine.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I know that’s what she would have wanted. So don’t go thinking that I knocked off my sister for money. That deal alone will give us all more money than we would ever need.”
“Thanks for the clarification. When did you hear about Jenny’s death?”
“I was in Boston that night. Had a meeting with a business I’m trying to get to open a location in Putnam. It’s one of those gym franchises. Healthy people make for a healthy community. I got a call from Chief Harper. I was asleep in my hotel room when my phone rang. Scared the shit out of me. It was like three in the morning.” Dak looked down at his drink. “At first I thought it was folks calling about Dad. I’d prepared myself for that for a while now.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” said Devine quietly.
He shook his head. “But not Jenny. I couldn’t believe it. I thought he was out of his fucking mind. I didn’t even know Jenny was in town. I’ll admit we weren’t as close as we were when we were kids, but she usually let us know when she was coming up.”
